Long Reads
Fancy a deeper dive into a topical issue like stadium re-development or the club’s finances? Or just the opportunity to soak up some nostalgia or a player interview? At True Faith we pride ourselves in our ability to take a step back and offer a more in-depth perspective than most online fan media. So, take some time out and enjoy our Long Reads. They’re the very opposite of worthless clickbait.
Previous Long Reads
St James’ Park – now is the time to stick or twist!
It’s the day after Newcastle United has put French aristocrats Paris Saint Germain to the sword in the Champions League. 4-1 – it might have been more. The world’s foremost player, Kylian Mbappe was rendered a mere mortal by the intensity, the ferocity of a team and...
Growing Pains
YOUSEF HATEM (@yousef_1892) looks at the changes made to ticketing for 2023-24 and asks whether the club might be biting the hand that feeds…
Blank Expression – Fan media and white noise!
My cards on the table. I love(d) fanzines. That’s probably no surprise given I edited the hard copy TRUE FAITH from its inception until the point the format was overtaken by the possibilities of digital media. A lot of people find that sad and I do too to a degree. I...
Jordan Henderson Is Innocent!
The joke between Newcastle United supporters is we never realised for so many years we lived next door to thousands of Amnesty International activists with special interests in human rights abuses committed in Saudi Arabia. That those committed and energetic...
TF LONG READ – Understanding Saudi Arabia and NUFC: Part 2
In the second part of his two-part special on Newcastle United / Saudi Arabia, YOUSEF HATEM (@yousef_1892) sets out some thoughts on how we can continue to engage with these issues constructively. In part one (link here), I mentioned that I thought the price of...
TF LONG READ – Understanding Saudi Arabia and NUFC: Part 1
In the first part of a two-part special on Newcastle United / Saudi Arabia, YOUSEF HATEM (@yousef_1892) writes about the importance of understanding the Kingdom, if we want to continue to engage in these debates at all. *** You may have surmised, from my name, that I...
TF LONG READ – VAR From the Madding Crowd
Another day, another VAR controversy. On Sunday, it was the penalty that never was. Or at least that was until it wasn’t. With no end in sight to the apparently relentless stream of ever more baffling decisions, Matthew Philpotts tries to cut through the noise to the facts and establish the real impact on our season of the Stockley Park machinations.
TF LONG READS – Thinking Outside the (Pixelated) Box
No prizes for guessing that United feature heavily in the TV table this season. But what does it all mean for the traditional Saturday 3pm? Is it too late to save it? Sam Dalling dives deep into why we should care and how we can fix it. Careful, we are into manifesto...
TF LONG READ – Club Accounts 2021-22: What Do They Mean?
NUFC have released their accounts for last season (21/22). Lest you’ve forgotten, the new owners bought the club on 7/10/21. This is the first set of accounts since 2007 without Mike Ashley as owner. And for the first time in years, they’re not the last to file their...
TF LONG READ – Shearer, Shoot-outs and South Shields: Kevin Phillips Interview
True Faith's Sam Dalling got the chance to spend the day at South Shields FC in the company of resident Toon bête noire Kevin Phillips, discussing not only football management and the Shields project, but also Ruud Gullit and that monsoon. Turns out he's an annoyingly...
TF LONG READ – Loyalty Points: Is there a better way?
As NUFC away ends continue to sell out weeks in advance, and demand for tickets is through the roof, MATTHEW PHILPOTTS (@mjp19731) asks: Is the loyalty points scheme fit for purpose? You're a brave man, Matthew... There’s a common misconception that the geopolitical...
TF LONG READ: One night in Milan
Time flies when you're having (very little) fun. Twenty years have passed since United's famous trip to the San Siro. Two decades folks, two bloomin' decades. But what a night, one where memories were made. Old acquaintances were no longer forgot. Sam Dalling chatted...
TF LONG READ – Closing the Income Gap to the “Big Six”
As we look to kick on to the next level, there's no more important issue facing the club than its financial situation. But the reality of FFP and the neglect of the Ashley years dictate that money can't just be pumped in. In the most detailed analysis of our financial...
TF LONG READ: reminiscing with Danny Simpson
Danny Simpson’s eyes begin dancing. A broad smile stretches ear to ear. The mind's eye has transported him elsewhere. Physically Simpson is sat in a trendy bike-cum-coffee-shop in Cheshire. Mentally, though, spiritually even, he is in a far away sweet spot. That spot...
TF LONG READ – Time to Move? Options for a New Stadium
Understandably, many of us are horrified at the thought of leaving St. James’. Our resident construction expert Stephen Hodgson (@StephenNUFC1892) is no different, but there are plenty of good reasons for thinking that the club is considering new sites, despite their...
TF Long Read – Pelé, O Rei (Part III): Coming to America
In the final part of his in-depth profile of Pelé, John Milton (@Geordioca) considers the great man's move to New York Cosmos and his legacy, good and bad. A must read for any serious football fan! ***** A victorious Brazil squad had done it! They had finally shown...
TF LONG READ- Fabian Schär: a case of what might not have been
“I was a bargain, no?! I mean, f***ing hell…!?” Fabian Schär was joking. Sort of... *** As part of our continually expanding offering at True Faith we are delighted to launch our new series of 'long reads' with a deep dive into Fabian Schär's early years as an...
TF Long Read – Pelé O Rei (Part 2): From Goodison to Mexico
Need an escape from nervously obsessing over the League Cup? United fan and Brazilian football afficionado John Milton (@Geordioca) continues his outstanding three-part look at the career of the greatest footballer who ever lived. Battered and bruised, dejected and...
TF LONG READ – Brazilian Legend RIP – Pele – A Life – Part One
As regular readers may be aware, John Milton, a native of Heaton lived in Brazil for several years and as a writer for TF provided some brilliant insights into Brazilian football, its history, culture and its icons. Within the printed pages of the fanzine, John...
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